A musket ball from one of the first shots fired in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 has been found at the site of an ambush in the Highlands.
Edinburgh-based expert in historic weaponry, Paul Macdonald, unearthed the projectile at the ruins of Highbridge near Spean Bridge in Lochaber...
Musket ball from 1745 ambush found near Spean Bridge
20 December 2016
BBC News
Paul Macdonald found the musket ball while investigating the site of the ambush with his family, including daughter Eilish
A musket ball from one of the first shots fired in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 has been found at the site of an ambush in the Highlands.
Edinburgh-based expert in historic weaponry, Paul Macdonald, unearthed the projectile at the ruins of Highbridge near Spean Bridge in Lochaber.
He made the find while investigating the site with his family.
Macdonald clansmen ambushed two companies of Royal Scots at Highbridge, killing at least two of them.
The Battle of Highbridge in August 1745 was the first skirmish of Bonnie Prince Charlie's campaign.
Highbridge was a crossing on a government-built road
The remaining 85 Royal Scots, who were marching from Fort Augustus to Fort William, were forced to make a retreat from Highbridge, a crossing on the government-built General Wade's Road.
The troops were pursued by another group of Macdonalds and forced to surrender, said Mr Macdonald.
He added that a grey horse of a Royal Scots captain was presented to Prince Charlie as a spoil of war.
Mr Macdonald, who runs Macdonald Armouries and makes period weaponry, including swords for TV show Game of Thrones, believes the last time the musket ball was touched was when it was being loaded into a firearm.
He said: "It is a musket ball of one of the first shots fired in the 1745 campaign. This is really quite exciting."
Musket ball from 1745 ambush found near Spean Bridge - BBC News
Edinburgh-based expert in historic weaponry, Paul Macdonald, unearthed the projectile at the ruins of Highbridge near Spean Bridge in Lochaber...
Musket ball from 1745 ambush found near Spean Bridge
20 December 2016
BBC News
Paul Macdonald found the musket ball while investigating the site of the ambush with his family, including daughter Eilish
A musket ball from one of the first shots fired in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 has been found at the site of an ambush in the Highlands.
Edinburgh-based expert in historic weaponry, Paul Macdonald, unearthed the projectile at the ruins of Highbridge near Spean Bridge in Lochaber.
He made the find while investigating the site with his family.
Macdonald clansmen ambushed two companies of Royal Scots at Highbridge, killing at least two of them.
The Battle of Highbridge in August 1745 was the first skirmish of Bonnie Prince Charlie's campaign.
Highbridge was a crossing on a government-built road
The remaining 85 Royal Scots, who were marching from Fort Augustus to Fort William, were forced to make a retreat from Highbridge, a crossing on the government-built General Wade's Road.
The troops were pursued by another group of Macdonalds and forced to surrender, said Mr Macdonald.
He added that a grey horse of a Royal Scots captain was presented to Prince Charlie as a spoil of war.
Mr Macdonald, who runs Macdonald Armouries and makes period weaponry, including swords for TV show Game of Thrones, believes the last time the musket ball was touched was when it was being loaded into a firearm.
He said: "It is a musket ball of one of the first shots fired in the 1745 campaign. This is really quite exciting."
Musket ball from 1745 ambush found near Spean Bridge - BBC News
